Beginner’s Mind: The Fast Track

By Sara Aoyama

I hear a lot of discussion about how martial arts students from Japan
differ from those in the west. It might even account in some part for
why in Japan students are often promoted to shodan (first degree black
belt) more quickly than students are in the west. But I think the reason
is that the Japanese student beginner’s mind may not be our beginner’s
mind.

What does a Japanese student bring to the dojo? In a sense, they are
already versed in the dojo culture, which shares much with their everyday
culture, and is arguably rooted in their own (Asian) culture. Any child
anywhere must be socialized to his or her culture and for most of us
in the West who train in a traditional dojo, the Japanese/Okinawan culture
is a new and foreign one. But in order to train within the system, some
of it must be internalized, understood and learned. It’s kind of
like pre-school preparing us for school. But we Westerners often go straight
into the dojo with no preparation. It’s a sink or swim, or a learn-as-you-go,
type of situation. Easier for some than others, and assisted possibly
by helpful hints and guidance from sempai, or by any written material
on cultural expectations and norms that a dojo may provide. Some of us
are open to these new ways, but some of us have a lot of resistance.

To see some differences, let’s look at what Janie and Taro bring
to the dojo.

I was once told by a first grade teacher in Japan that the whole entire
year is devoted to socialization, and academics come a distant second.
In Japan there is no kindergarten in the elementary school. There are
private kindergartens or pre-schools, but first grade is the first step
they take into the school they will attend for six years, and it is the
beginning of academic life.

In Taro’s school he will start out by studying who he is as a
person, and then widen the circle to include family, school, and lastly
community. He will learn at each level the different roles, rules, and
expectations in place. Traditional learning in first grade will include
raising a morning glory plant from seed to plant and charting its growth,
learning how to do shopping errands for his mother, learning to wash
his shoes, and learning to clean his classroom, the school yard, and
the streets of the community around the school. Taro will attend hansokai
(reflection meetings) after each event to discuss what could have been
better. This teaches cooperation and good listening skills. The curriculum
in Japan is almost the same in every school, something unimaginable to
Americans.

For Janie, while some attention is given to behavior at school, she’ll
be primarily concerned with the three R’s (reading, writing and
arithmetic). Socialization might consist of learning the Golden Rule,
but though she may be expected to keep her desk neat and clean, most
likely she won’t actually be taught how to do this. And in America,
unlike Japan, there is a huge difference in what is taught at each and
every school. So we don’t really know what Janie will be learning
in her first academic year of school.

What do Janie and Taro need to learn to be a member of their traditional
dojo community? A few things might be:

Bowing (Japanese kids learn this one very quickly in life)Cleaning (Japanese kids learn this in first grade at the latest)Dojo Kun (Recitation is also a skill taught in Japanese schools;
Americans may get it in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, an optional
activity)Group Work (We all get this, but in different ways)Sempai/Kohai (This is very familiar to Japanese kids, and unknown
to Americans)Staying in tempo with each other (Americans walk to the beat of their
own drum)Lining up Shoes and People = Order (Japanese are familiar with this
early on)Terminology (Due to language differences, the Japanese have an advantage
here)Focus (I suppose this one has a range of individual differences)Neat Appearance/Uniforms (Most
Americans are unaccustomed to uniforms and Japanese kids wear them often,
if just for gym class. In
America, "neatness
counts" means "I’d better be able to read your handwriting.")

No Japanese person is going to misunderstand the meaning of senpai
(one’s
senior), forget to bow, or think that having to clean the dojo himself
is strange. Terms won’t be hard to understand either, and concepts
will come faster. Of course, in the end, being an American myself,
I think it depends on the individual!

Japanese martial arts usually teach a lot more than technique. They
usually stress “do”, which incorporates mental training and
group socialization. Students learn to develop discipline, etiquette
and an unquitting spirit, along with control of ego, self-control, and
appreciation and cooperation with others in their martial arts group.
Thus, Japanese and western martial arts students usually start from different
places. I don’t know how much, but the social-mental training among
Japanese students might account for the speed with which some Japanese
reach the dan (black belt) level.

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About the Author:

Sara Aoyama is a 1974 graduate of the University of Kansas, where she
majored in Japanese Language and Literature. She spent over twelve years
living in Japan where she dabbled in a number of other arts such as Ikebana
(flower arranging), cooking, and Shamisen. While living in Kyoto, she
was able to see many hidden aspects of Japanese society. Currently she
lives in Brattleboro, Vermont where she trains in Shorin-ryu Karate.
Currently she continues her studies in Kishaba Juku karate under Sensei
George Donahue. She is a freelance Japanese-English translator. Most
recently, she translated "The Art of Lying" by Kazuo Sakai,
MD., and “Karate Kyohan” by Kaicho Tadashi Nakamura. Aoyama
is a regular contributor to FightingArts.com.